Popularized in the early to mid ‘00s with titles like Saw (2004) and Hostel (2005) the horror sub-genre torture porn exploded. One of the more divisive sub-genre torture porn horror movies have been derided in the press yet have also been commercially successful and have garnered a large following of dedicated fans. The movies are not known for great dialogue, writing or even acting. The one thing they do, and quite often do well if you can stomach it, is unflinchingly depict the torture and mutilation of people.
Hostel (2005) perhaps is one of the best examples of this. The movie gets the setup over and done with pretty quickly to focus on one thing and one thing only. The brutal mutilation and torture of some hapless backpackers in eastern Europe.
These movies are not everyone's bag, but torture porn has made a big splash in the horror world over the past ten years. With titles like The Human Centipede (2009) and Martyrs (2008) garnering a significant amount of media attention and a loyal following of hardcore horror fans it looks like this horror sub-genre isn’t going anywhere soon. In fact, it has been around for a longer than most people realise. Wes Craven’s The Last House on the Left (1972) and Meir Zarchi’s I Spit on Your Grave (1978) are some early examples which influenced the eventual evolution of this sub-genre into what we know it as today. In typical Hollywood fashion both these titles were remade to capitalize on the new interest in the sub-genre. While not particularly memorable or as ground-breaking as the originals the remakes are definitely worth watching for fans of torture porn.
We've put together a list of some of the best, most disturbing and outright depraved torture porn horror movies out there. But before you get stuck in you have been warned - these movies are not easy watching. They will disturb you. They will f*ck with you. They will put you off backpacking in Europe. Proceed with caution.
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Torture Porn Horror Movies
Saw
Year: 2004
Released: 29 Oct 2004 |
Director: James Wan

7.7

5.5

46

3.8
The plot
Would you kill to live? When a madman tries to teach how much life is worth, two men find themselves in a room with no idea... [read more]
Martyrs
Year: 2008
Released: 03 Sep 2008 |
Director: Pascal Laugier

7.1

5.7

3.8

4.1
The plot
A young woman's quest for revenge against the people who kidnapped and tormented her as a child leads her and a friend, who... [read more]
Inside
Year: 2007
Released: 13 Jun 2007 |
Director: Alexandre Bustillo, Julien Maury...

6.9

7.4

3.8

4.1
The plot
Four months after the death of her husband, a woman on the brink of motherhood is tormented in her home by a strange woman... [read more]
The Loved Ones
Year: 2009
Released: 04 Nov 2010 |
Director: Sean Byrne

6.7

7.2

3.7

4.1
The plot
When Brent turns down his classmate Lola's invitation to the prom, she concocts a wildly violent plan for revenge.
Antichrist
Year: 2009
Released: 20 May 2009 |
Director: Lars von Trier

6.6

5.5

49

3.5
The plot
A grieving couple retreat to their cabin in the woods, hoping to repair their broken hearts and troubled marriage. But... [read more]